Meet Pepper

This little girl is Pepper. She is a 4 month old lab/beagle mix. We asked her owner to bring her in. Like any puppy, she was a bundle of energy, and so lovable. Like any puppy, she did not want to sit. We did get some really cute shots of her, and shee even let us put a pettiskirt on her. Wait til Joy's son sees these! :)

I don't think we've ever come across a dog that we couldn't get some great shots of. We may have to pull more tricks out of the bag for some, but in general, they all do what we need them to do.

Here are some tips for when you get your pet photographed. Feed and water them before they get here. Walk or run them before you leave. This will burn off some of their energy. Once you get here, take your pet for a walk around the yard. Let him or her sniff around and do their thing.

Once we get your pet inside, we will let him/ her get used to us. We don't jump right into shooting. We want your pet to feel comfortable and safe.

Here are some of our favorite images from the shoot.

The Christmas Show

Back in December we had the privilage of shooting the Christmas Show for Arabesque Academy of Dancing. We really love doing these recitals. I get to go behind the curtain. I love the kids' nervousness back stage. I love watching all their hard work come together, and their faces as they come off. They all whisper encouragement to the other kids that are getting ready to go on.

Every year Amy puts on a better show than the one before it, and this was no exception. This year, the show had a new addition; kids from the new acting class. This added a whole new dimension to the show.

I can't wait for the spring show to see what Amy is cooking up next!

Back in Black

Almost a year ago I posted about my daughgter's travel soccer team, FC America. They had a few players who were seniors, so they were now too old to play in their age bracket. This left half a team. So, back in the summer they played their last tournament together, on the field as a team, on last time. Or so we thought...

This fall we found out that the younger girls who were left behind, were given permission to play in the adult league at Riverfront. The girls scrambled to get their team back, and get some new shirts made. They couldn't be FC America anymore, so they renamed themselves 'Back in Black'.

They've had a tough season, but managed to win a couple games. The best part was that they were all back together, playing again, for a little while longer.

These images are from last night's game. I don't even know what the score was, but I know we lost. It was a rough team, but our girls played well.

Happy New Year

Happy 2011! It's a New Year which brings new resolutions and new promises. One of my resolutions is to get organized. Along with that organization, is to stay up to date on my blog.

So, without further delay, here is our first after Christmas session. Baby A. Mom is one of the teachers at Arabesque Academy of Dancing and went into labor right after the Christmas Show.

We decided to go to her, since it was so cold and windy outside. We worke with the awesome light coming through the windows. This little girl slept through most of her session, and did not fuss at all. She was a little doll.

Colleen + Tony Photobooth

Montdale Country Club was the setting for Colleen and Tony's awesome wedding. We were there with our photo booth. When they go in the booth, you never quite know what's going to pop up on the screen! Congrats!

The Hidden Lake

The Dunns found us with an internet search. They are from Jersey, but have a home up here, on a lake. This property has been in their family for years, so Tara decided it was time to get a family session done at the lake that she loved so much.

Keep in mind that I have lived on the same street my entire life. I grew up here! But, I never knew this place existed. It's tucked away, off a side road, then turn off to a dirt road. We had to call them when we got so far, so they could talk us in the rest of the way. I'm going to say that's because it's off the beaten path, and not because I'm bad at directions. haha

As we were driving in, it was all reminding me of my own lake house where I grew up as a kid. As Tara was telling me stories of when she was younger, I was really relating to that. It was the same kind of memories I have of my own childhood.

Tara didn't want stuffy formal shots. She wanted real life, kids playing, having a good time shots. Those are the kiNds we love!

Since the dock and the lake are the view that they see from the shore, we decided we would put them into that setting first. The kids did such an awesome job! The girls were pretty shy about the whole thing, but Charlie made up for them! He was so cute. We had a lot of fun with the Dunns, and we hope to see them again!

Julie!

I swear that this is the last mask blog post! I think Ed has gotten the masks out of his system. For now. haha.
Ed found Julie on Model Mayhem, a place where models, makeup artists and photographers all go to work together. So we called her up to come do some posing. She brought along her boyfriend, Kevin, who is also a model. He was just there for support, but we do have some ideas for him, so we will be giving him a call after the fall/holiday rush!

We also called in our awesome friend and makeup artist Monica Scaduto. We have worked with her many times before and she is awesome at helping to relax the clients before the shoot so we can get the best images of them.

We did a few mask images, but not too many, since she was also there to do some portfolio building. She did great and I can't wait to work with both her and Kevin (and Monica) again!